(1) Technical Field
The present invention relates to computing reachable areas given a first point. More specifically, the present invention relates to the computation of an intersection between a first surface and a second surface for determining a set of points that are reachable from a first point.
(2) Description of Related Art
Ballistic projectiles are fired from a specific location in a three-dimensional world, and are intended to strike a target at a different location. Ballistic projectiles may be launched by unmanned vehicles exploring distant planets, or by troops in combat. Sophisticated algorithms have been developed to determine, given a launch site, ballistic, and environmental conditions, the flight trajectory of the projectile. Other techniques can determine desired launch conditions, given a target site and a trajectory. However, these techniques generally require that a launch and target site are known. Further, these prior art systems generally compute a single target site from a single launch site, or vice versa. Thus, what is needed is a system and method, that allows a user to determine the entire region of candidate target sites that can be hit from a particular launch site, taking into account the various peaks and valleys in the local terrain that might create obstructions.